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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · mug · ball · wave · net · bass · rash · pop

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — for catching
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mug — a face
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — low music
  11. net — in sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com